Examining the effect of principal turnover on teaching quality: a study on organizational change with repeated classroom observations

Abstract

ABSTRACT There is a large base of empirical evidence that points to the importance of school leadership with regard to functional schools and student achievement. Based on this importance, a change of principal can be a critical event for a school. This study seeks to answer the question if principal turnover is associated with a change in a school’s teaching quality and the role of moderators and interactions in this regard. Based upon data from n = 10,036 high-stakes classroom observations gathered cross-sectionally within n = 101 primary schools at 2 time points, the results show that teaching quality seems to be buffered from direct effects of principal turnover to some extent. However, further analyses demonstrate that the change in principal leadership might have negative effects on teaching quality in low-socioeconomic-status schools when new principals try to apply strong instructional leadership.